Hungarian foreign minister blames Ukraine for rising gas prices in Europe
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has accused Ukraine of putting the European Union in a difficult economic situation by stopping the transit of Russian gas.
Source: Szijjártó on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Szijjártó said that "even the most fanatical Brussels officials" cannot deny that the competitiveness of the European Union has "deteriorated sharply" in recent years.
He argues that one of the main reasons for this is that "gas prices in Europe have become much higher than those of our competitors".
"The rise in European natural gas prices has been mainly caused by measures that artificially reduce its quantity, such as the elimination of some sources of natural gas through sanctions or policies, as well as the blocking of certain transport routes," Szijjártó explained.
Nonetheless, Szijjártó noted that Hungary has diversified its sources of gas, so the rise in energy prices in Europe will not have a major impact on the country.
He blamed Ukraine for the recent suspension of Russian natural gas transit to Central Europe for the price increase.
"Since the suspension of the Ukrainian transit route became final in mid-December, the price of natural gas on the European market has increased by 20%. Thus, although Ukraine is trying to join the EU as a candidate, it has once again put the European economy in a difficult situation with its latest decision. This specifically concerns Central Europe," he wrote.
Szijjártó said he had met with his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár to "analyse the situation" following the suspension of Russian gas transit.
"We agreed that the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement must be respected by both sides, and this agreement also provides for the preservation of energy transportation routes," he added.
Nevertheless, as reported on 6 January, the European Commission did not record any sharp jumps in gas prices in the European Union after Ukraine stopped transiting Russian gas to the EU.
Background:
- The contract between Ukraine and Russia for gas transit to Europe expired at the end of 2024 after the Ukrainian side decided not to renew it.
- After that, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sharply criticised Kyiv for these actions and wrote a letter to EU leaders expressing dissatisfaction with the actions of the Ukrainian side.
- On Thursday, 9 January, Fico will travel to Brussels for talks with the European Commission on the situation with the suspension of gas transit through Ukraine.
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